UPDATE: The shipping vessel which had malaria-stricken crew members aboard docked in New Orleans around 1:35 p.m. Thursday. The Marine Phoenix will unload its cargo Friday morning.
Click here to see video of the ship traveling upstream
BELLE CHASSE, La. (WGNO) — The Marine Phoenix is in a holding pattern in the Mississippi River at Belle Chasse. The Center for Disease and Control said sick crew members aboard the ship have malaria.
The Marine Phoenix arrived at Belle Chasse around 3 p.m. Wednesday. It came from western Africa, where countries there are dealing with a historic Ebola outbreak.
As of Wednesday night, one crewman was transported from the cargo ship in critical condition and taken to West Jefferson Medical Center, but Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser told us several other sick crew members are still aboard the tanker.
According to a statement from the hospital, federal and state health officials managed the patient transfer this afternoon.
The Port Authority of New Orleans tells WGNO News that the Marine Phoenix will dock at Jourdan Road Terminal in 9th ward around 10 a.m. Thursday.
Until then delivery river boat pilots have been told to make no deliveries to the ship. The entire ship is under quarantine until health officials pinpoint exactly what is going on.
It’s unsure how many crewmen work aboard the Marine Phoenix, but vessels like this usually carry close to 30 crew members.
Previous story: African ship carrying sick crewmen to dock in New Orleans